March/April 2016
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Optics Fair! April 2 AUDUBON SOCIETY of PORTLAND — Page 9 Black-throated MARCH/APRIL 2016 Gray Warbler Volume 80 Numbers 3&4 arbler W Native Plant Sale WCC’s Online Auction Speak Up for Australia! Ends March 7 a Clean River November 12–23 April 23–24 Page 5 Page 4 Page 6 See page 9 Birdathon 2016 Counting Birds BeCause Birds Count! Registration begins March 15th! In the coming weeks, tens of thousands of shorebirds and Millennial Falcons. Photo by Tinsley Hunsdorfer hundreds of thousands of waterfowl will pass through Malheur. Greater Yellowlegs photo by Candace Larsen oin the Biggest, Baddest Birdathon this side of the way you choose, you’ll be championing the importance of Mississippi—you’ll enjoy our region’s birding hotspots, protecting the species and lands that you love. Malheur: Looking Jlearn from expert birders, AND help raise money to protect birds and habitat across Oregon! Then you’ll invite your friends and family to sponsor your Forward Birdathon efforts with a donation or pledge. We have some by Bob Sallinger, great prizes lined up to reward participants who see the most Now in its 36th year, Birdathon is like a walkathon, but Conservation Director instead of counting miles, we count birds! There are many species, receive the most pledges, raise the most money, take ways to participate. You can register for one of our exciting the best photos, and more. Participants are asked to raise n February 11, the last occupiers of Malheur guided teams, you can assemble your own team of bird a minimum of $35 in pledges National Wildlife Refuge surrendered to federal enthusiasts, or you can Birdathon on your own—whatever unless otherwise indicated. Oauthorities, and the 41-day long, illegal armed occupation of Malheur came to an end. Audubon Society of Portland appreciates law enforcement officials Birdathon 2016 Teams who worked to end the occupation, Malheur Refuge staff Here’s a partial list and a synopsis of Half-Day, Full-Day, and Gonzo Trips (2+ days). who were displaced by this occupation, and the local Visit audubonportland.org for additional trips and more details. community which strongly rejected this occupation. Migration is already underway. By early February, Half-Day Trips: Birdathon Coordinator Mark Fitzsimons will lead you Tundra Swans and Sandhill Cranes were already passing Great Big Sit: April 24 (Sun), 8am–3:30pm and your canoe or kayak on this birding and paddling through the refuge, and tens of thousands of shorebirds The perfect Birdathon experience for beginning birders! adventure. A minimum of $75 in pledges is requested. and hundreds of thousands of waterfowl are not far Phyllis Wolfe, Dena Turner, and Diane Stone welcome you behind. Malheur is one of the most important bird to Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. Give your legs a The Bountifowls: May 22 (Sun), 9:45am–1pm refuges on the Pacific Flyway, and there is much work to rest, and spend a leisurely morning in your lawn chair; sit back Attention birding foodies! Get a backstage pass to a local be done to prepare the refuge for migration. with your thermos amidst great company, and relax as the premier organic farm: Our Table Cooperative. Enjoy birds come to you. 35–50 species frequent this idyllic setting! special access to hot birding habitats on this 58-acre farm, The armed, illegal occupation of Malheur, which including riparian woodlands and open water. Veteran included threats and intimidation, destruction of Whittemore’s Whatzits: May 8 (Sun) 8am–1pm leader Barb Grover will help birders of all levels spot and public property and natural resources, and interference Beginning Birding and Birding by Ear instructor Laura identify birds. Conclude the morning with a special farm with Native American artifacts, was a criminal Whittemore, and Birdathon Coordinator Mark lunch to celebrate our birding success! A minimum of activity that put the community, the environment, Fitzsimons, guide this Steigerwald Lake NWR trip. $100 in pledges is requested. and irreplaceable cultural artifacts at risk. Audubon Songbirds, raptors, and waterfowl abound—we expect to see urges the federal government to fully prosecute the 50 species among the marshes and mature cottonwoods. Jackson Bottom Ramblers: perpetrators and send a strong message to others who A minimum of $75 in pledges is requested. Date TBD (Sat), 7am–Noon might follow in their footsteps. Join Steve Engel, Hillsboro’s Nature Program Supervisor Millennial Falcons: May 14 (Sat) 8am–Noon and former Portland Audubon staffer, for a morning For Portland Audubon, Malheur is a particularly Calling all young adult birders, photographers, and nature at Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve. Designated an special place. Our 114-year history is intimately lovers ages 21 to 35... Join naturalist Robin Juskowiak and Important Bird Area (IBA,) over 200 species of birds have intertwined with Malheur. In fact, Portland Audubon avid birder Molly Sultany for a causal half-day of birding been identified here, with over 150 expected annually. Bird was created in 1902 in part to advocate for the at Fernhill Wetlands. Explore this 700-acre hotspot for its quiet, open waters, rolling meadows, and upland ash protection of Malheur. It was photographs taken waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors, and scan the marsh for and fir woodlands. Watch for nesting eagle activity, and see by William Finley, our founder and first president, the elusive Sora, American Bittern, and Virginia Rail. Bird what’s happening at the heron rookery. of Malheur’s vast bird populations and the wanton this Important Birding Area (IBA), then head to nearby slaughter of birds by plume hunters that convinced McMenamins Grand Lodge to debrief over an IPA. A Song in the Morning: Theodore Roosevelt to protect Malheur in 1908. We Date TBD (Wed), 7am–9am have remained actively engaged ever since. NEW TRIP! Ducking Responsibility: Spend the morning with Gerard Lillie, Mt Tabor’s Continued on page 4 May 15 (Sun) 7am–1pm renowned birdsong expert, and work on an impressive list We head deep into the hidden waterways of the Columbia of residents and spring migrants by identifying their songs Slough, then walk trails into some lesser known eastside and calls! Join this special “Birdathon Edition” of Portland Inside this issue wetlands and ponds. We’ll follow “the road less traveled”! Audubon’s spring series of Bird Song Walks. Page 2 .............From our Executive Director Birdathon Full-Day Trips ........................................Nature Nights Audubon Society and more on page 12 of Portland Page 3 ..................................Audubon Outings 5151 NW Cornell Road .....................................Bird Song Walks Portland, Oregon 97210 Page 4 & 5 .........................................Conservation ...........................Wildlife Care Center Page 6 & 7 ...........................Trips, Tours & Classes Page 8 .....................Field Notes & Volunteers Page 9 ................Nature Store & Sanctuaries Page 10 ...............Board of Directors Election Page 11 ...................................Tributes & Legacy Page 12 ..............Map/Hours/Business Alliance View this Warbler and many past issues in full color on our website! Go to audubonportland.org/about/ newsletter and enhance your enjoyment of our popular newsletter! FREE EVENT! From our Executive Director Welcome Back Vulture Day On Refuges and Common Ground is coming to Nadaka Nature Park and St. Aidan’s Church! ow that the occupation of As an organization, the Audubon Society of Portland can Malheur National Wildlife be proud of the foresight and commitment our founders Saturday, March 19, 2016 NRefuge has ended, we can showed in protecting Malheur in 1908, as well as our Noon–3pm breathe a collective sigh of relief. continued role in its protection. Further, recent events show The occupiers have gone, and the that the protections established for our natural heritage Nadaka Nature Park and protection and restoration of this are only as strong as the community that protects it. That St. Aidan’s Church globally significant refuge can resume, means we must always be looking forward—a generation 17405 NE Glisan St as can the benefits the land has or more ahead—to ensure that tomorrow’s conservation Portland, OR 97230 provided for centuries to both people movement remains strong and diverse, in every meaning of id you notice you see Nick Hardigg and wildlife. the term. Of particular importance now is our leadership Turkey Vultures in the role in the Outdoor School for All campaign, which would metropolitan area only Relief is especially due to the people of Burns and the Burns introduce every child in Oregon to the outdoors (see D in the spring and summer? Paiute Tribe, many of whom have seen their lives hijacked update, page 4). Our educational programs are as vital a That’s because they migrate to by the armed confrontation. The community had invested program for Oregon’s healthy future as the long record of warmer climates in the winter, years in collaboration with all stakeholders, including conservation victories they’ve inspired. but it’s time to welcome them Portland Audubon, to reach consensus on a healthier future back. We’re lucky to still have for their region. And though $6 million in funding has now We hope you enjoy this issue of the Warbler, and the ways Ruby the Turkey Vulture good populations of Turkey photo by Tom Schmid been promised for the Refuge recovery plan (see story, page our complementary roles of advocate and educator have the Vultures in Oregon. Around the world vultures are facing 1), the damage to families, friendships, and community potential for historic impact: one inspired mind at a time. hazards in the wild and their numbers are dwindling. trust has no price tag. As “Nature’s Recyclers,” they play an important role in reducing disease — and it’s up to us to help save them. Organized opposition to federal management of public lands is of growing concern across the west.